A Road Diverged
by GatherYeRosebuds
Summary: Sequel to 'Last Words'. Lexiss has grown up, and moved on. She's even fallen in love. But nothing lasts forever, and as Lexiss' past begins to haunt her, she is faced with the most important decision of her life. Rated for language and adult situations.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Hey! Long time no see! But... ****I'm back! How exciting is that?**

**Um, so, to get this crap out of the way, I don't own anything, go Marvel, woot woot...**

* * *

_Prologue_

He wouldn't call what he was doing stalking. Stalking's a harsh word. He was… keeping an eye out. And he hadn't let the blonde dye grow out of his hair and he wasn't wearing black shades and a high-colored jacket so she wouldn't recognize him. He was a wanted man – mutant -, and he was sure the place they'd look second, after scouring San Francisco, was his old school, now that mutants were really out in the open. He was changing his look so he wasn't arrested, or worse. That was it. Everyone always makes everything more complicated than it has to be. The only people he had ever met who didn't were Magneto, Mystique, and her.

John idly fingered the silver chain around his neck as he watched the door of the Chinese restaurant her and that blonde guy had gone into.

Warren.

_Angel_.

Where the hell had he even come from? He just showed up one day, and now it was like her and _Angel_ were together all the time. And what kind of self-respecting dude called himself _Angel_ anyway? It was disgusting, and just a tad gay, if he did say so himself. Not that he would know. He was very much into women. In fact, Callisto had been pretty hot, and she had seemed to be into him, but Callisto sounded too much like Calypso, and then there was that damn necklace…

John gave the ring a subconscious tug. The minute, the second he had started even beginning to think about doing anything, it started to gain weight and pull down on his neck until it seemed like it weighed a ton, and he actually started to feel guilty. Him, feeling guilt! It was incredible. He had once vaguely wondered if she had done something to it with her power, but that was ridiculous.

Now, the jealousy, that had always been there, that was nothing new. It was just there a ten-fold, because she was actually holding someone else's hand. His fingers twitched. Him, St. John Allerdyce, **Pyro**, should not be missing something as small and insignificant as the touch of another.

But he was.

Hell, by all rights, he shouldn't still be a virgin. He was nineteen years old, and he had never banged a girl in his life.

The only way the situation could be worse was if Bobby had gotten some from Rogue since she had gotten the cure. He knew for a fact she had; Rogue, Bobby, her, and _Angel_ had all gone to the movies the previous day, and she had been all over the Iceman. John had always bested Bobby at everything; the first time Bobby had ever beaten him was at Alcatraz, and his pride had taken a pretty hard hit then. If he had lost his before him, John'd kill him. He'd kill him, and then he'd kill Rogue.

A silver Jeep passed his car, and he turned his face away from the window.

It was her fault. He and she had never talked about it at all. It had never come up, hence it had never been considered. She was smart, she should have thought of it; he couldn't be expected to think of everything.

But then, he had to wonder: why hadn't it ever come up? As far as he could gather, it was normal in all relationships. Did that mean he and she hadn't had a normal relationship? Granted, they had only kissed once. Three times… but once. Oh God, once. Hot blood suddenly pulsed in his face and chest thinking about it. He gripped the steering wheel with such ferocity his knuckles turned white.

Damn her! Why the hell whenever he thought about her, that came up, and why all of a sudden was he so sorry he hadn't thrown her over his shoulder as he had numerous times before and forced her to come with him when he had left? How the hell did she manage to fuck up his head so much? It wasn't natural! Maybe that was her power too. She got into men's heads and twisted their thoughts.

John dismissed it quickly with a violent shake of his head. Whatever was going on, she didn't know she was doing it.

Damn her, damn her, damn her, damn her!!

He glanced at the clock on the radio. She had been inside for an hour. He settled back into his seat, taking deep breaths. Why were they even in a Chinese restaurant? Chinese food was gross; he could never know for sure what exactly was in it. Mexican food was better, spicier.

But she hated Mexican food. And he suddenly remembered she loved Chinese food. She could even eat with chopsticks. He remembered when she had tried to teach him how to use the damn things. He had felt like such a moron. His fingers had been clumsy and thick, and he had been swearing and threatening to break the things in half. She had laughed, gently put his fingers in the proper position, and then pleasantly told him to try again or she'd break him in half. He still couldn't use the stupid things. That was another reason he liked Mexican food more - it was hand food.

He slouched down in his seat as another car passed, and another thought entered his head. He would bet anything _Angel_ could use chopsticks just fine. He sneered at the restaurant door as more unpleasant thoughts along the same lines followed the first.

He and John were polar opposites. He was tall and blonde. John was more on the short side, however much he was reluctant to admit it, with dark brown hair. _Angel's_ only mutation was that pair of wings sprouting out of his back. John's was way better. So he couldn't create fire. Big deal. With his wrist mechanism attached to the lighter she had given him almost two years ago, the lighter he had refused to give up even after he joined Magneto's crew, he could do so much more. It was like that story of the man with the wax wings flying too close to the sun.

Well, if that didn't show who the superior being was, he didn't know what did.

That brought him to his next point. Why was she even with this guy? She had been with him for a while, and Alcatraz had only been five months ago. What had brought this complete change? They were nothing alike. How could she go from dating him to dating _Angel_?

He rubbed his temples. He didn't want to think about _Angel _anymore. He was disturbing his memories. The sun was beating down, but, because of his powers, the heat didn't touch him.

With a sudden start, John realized the entire time he had been back, he hadn't used her name once. Not thought it, or spoken it aloud. He frowned.

"Lexiss," he said determinedly. "Lex-iss. Lexiss."

With a satisfied sigh, he sat back, and watched the restaurant.

Only watching, for now.

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**Well, I know it's been a while, but please enjoy, and let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 16

****

Hello, everyone!! Welcome back. I just want to apologize in advance for how sporadic these postings are going to be. Unlike the last installments, this one isn't finished yet. I'm writing as a go. But welcome to the new chapter!

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_Chapter 16_

Something blared annoyingly in her ear. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, and stretched her hand out from under her comforter, groping for her alarm clock. Finally finding it, she pounded the snooze button with her fist, and rolled over, her back to her window, where morning sunlight was pouring in.

She distinctly remembered she had set her alarm for 7:15 for some important reason. Unfortunately, that important reason was escaping her. So, yawning, she snuggled back down into her pillows, and closed her eyes. No sooner had she fallen asleep again, it seemed, a weight was pressing down on her legs.

"Mmph," she groaned, trying to roll over again.

"Get up," a firm yet remotely cheery voice demanded from above the covers.

She groaned again, trying to pull her comforter higher. "Go away…!" she grumbled.

"No," the voice said resolutely. The covers were pulled away from her face, and bright light burned through her closed eyelids. Letting out a sigh of slight irritation, she grabbed a pillow and covered her face with it, but not before glimpsing a look of growing exasperation on Rogue's face.

"Lexiss, you were supposed to be awake half an hour ago, come on!" she said, pulling on the pillow.

Something began nagging Lexiss in the back of her mind… "Up for what?" she asked, voice muffled due to the pillow. Rogue sighed.

"We have a Danger Room session in 15 minutes, remember?"

Lexiss blinked. Danger Room session…

"SHIT!!"

The pillow fell to the floor, and Lexiss shoved the covers back, scrambling out of bed. She threw up her short brown hair with a ponytail off her wrist. Then she snatched up her red-lined suit off of the back of her desk chair. "I'll meet you down there, 'K?"

Rogue grinned, shaking her head and standing. "Yeah, sure," she said, as Lexiss began to pull off the oversize t-shirt she had slept in. Rogue moved toward the door.

"Don't be late-"

"SHUT UP, ROGUE!!"

* * *

Lexiss made it down to the Danger Room with no time to spare.

"Sleep well, Lex?" Bobby asked with a rueful grin. Piotr and Kitty were already there, all grinning stupidly at her.

"Shut up," she growled. "Rogue here yet?"

"She's up with Storm setting up the simulation. She's running the show today," Piotr said.

"Cool."

There was the sound of sliding steel doors, and Ororo and Logan appeared from the Danger Room's Control Room.

"Oh, well, I'm glad you could make it," Logan said, looking down his cigar at her.

"Am I late?" she asked, following Ororo and Logan with the rest of her friends into the Danger Room.

"Almost," Logan replied.

Shaking her head, Lexiss was the last into the Danger Room before the steel doors clanged shut. Ororo turned.

"Alright," she said. "Today we're going to run our offensive tactics again. This time, though, we want to focus on synthesizing our attacks. Working as a team," she added, just barely glancing at Logan out of the corner of her eye. "Working in pairs of two, I want the focus of this session to be on joint attacks and equalizing the amount of force between two people. But don't always just work with the same people. Move around," she said.

Logan arched an eyebrow. "We're running the Sentinel drill again; moving's not going to be an issue."

Lexiss stifled giggles for Ororo's sake. Bobby snorted in laughter, and Kitty smacked his shoulder with the back of her hand. Ororo sighed, and turned away from the group.

"Piotr, start with me," she said. He nodded. Once everyone had become silent, she said very concisely and loudly, "Begin simulation."

Immediately afterwards, blue lines began appearing across the expanse of the dome shaped room. Cars formed, building rubble formed, twisted metal and broken class formed, most of it already on fire.

"Dibs on Tardy," Bobby said.

"BITE ME!!"

"Then, Kitty, you're over here," Logan said, arching an eyebrow and holding his cigar in his fingers. Kitty glanced at Lexiss, rolled her eyes, and moved to stand next to Logan.

Two sudden bright beams of light cut through the smoke produced by the flames of numerous fires, and the creak and groan of robotic parts could be heard.

"Scatter!" Lexiss shouted. Bobby grabbed onto her arm, and pulled her into a sprint off to the left. The other two groups broke off in opposite directions.

The earpiece in Lexiss' ear crackled to life. "Can everyone hear me?" Piotr called through the headset.

"Loud and clear," Bobby replied. There was a thunderous explosion behind the two of them.

"Logan, Kitty, looks like it's headed your way!" Lex said into her earpiece.

"Got it," Logan replied. The radio went silent.

"We should probably move," Lexiss said. "Find a place to take cover right now." Bobby nodded in agreement, and they took off, sprinting across the grit-covered ground, dodging piles of burning rubble and flying pieces of debris. Finally, the two dropped down behind a burning car, panting.

"Just like old times, huh?" Bobby breathed, flashing a grin at her.

Lexiss smiled back, and nodded, catching her breath. "Yeah. Old times."

"Bobby, Lex, 11 o'clock!!" Kitty shouted through the earpiece. Just as Lexiss glanced over her shoulder, Bobby threw his arms around her and pushed her to the ground, covering her with his body. The car behind them exploded, showering them with twisted pieces of hot metal. One of the pieces cut a long slit up the side of the suit, slicing a seven inch gash in her skin. Blood bubbled up through the wound even as Lexiss' healing abilities sealed it closed, and she winced only for a second.

"Thanks," she exhaled up to Bobby as they lifted their heads.

"No problem," he replied.

A second car exploded behind them, sending another wave of heat and shrapnel over them. Lexiss deflected the more serious pieces with a small force field, and barely noticed the slight pain behind her eyes.

"Up, up!" she shouted as she heard the creak and groan of the Sentinel behind them. She pushed herself up from underneath Bobby, grabbed his shoulder, and hauled him off the ground. They turned, taking up defensive positions. Beams of light cut through the darkness, settling on the two young X-Men.

"How do you want to do this?" Bobby asked.

Lexiss felt the ground shake beneath them as the massive robot moved toward them. "It's less energy for you to shoot a constant stream of ice than making things, right?" He nodded once. "Alright. Do that. I'll break them up, and make sure they hit their mark."

"Got it." His arms came up, and he went to work.

Lexiss widened her stance, and lifted her arms up at well. She inhaled deeply, and then began to re-circulate the air around her, tightening it into tick, nearly tangible flows. She shoved her arms straight out in front of her, and several of these flows sliced through Bobby's wide jet of ice over and over again until it was divided into sharp shards. Simultaneously, she directed the path of the shards so that they struck every weak spot she could possibly imagine the Sentinel having.

A sharp pain shot through Lexiss' head so suddenly that her vision temporarily flickered into black and back again. Her hearing became muted, and her head was filled with a loud buzzing. She cried out in pain, doubling over.

Then, as soon as the pain was gone, power coursed through her. It was a brand new sensation; normally, when she tapped into her mutant abilities, she felt a cool sensation wash over her, like she was being draped in a thin layer of silk. Now, she felt like she was going to be incinerated on the spot. Fire forced its way through her veins, her bones, her tendons, and shoved itself out of every pore on her body. An insurmountable amount of power was flowing out of her. Lexiss didn't have the strength to stop it.

The ground from Lexiss' feet outward rippled like water, and huge cracks formed. The cars in front of her crunched in on themselves like aluminum foil, and all the fires around her and Bobby leapt three feet higher.

The Sentinel exploded.

"Lex, what the hell are you doing?" Bobby shouted at her from her peripheral.

"I-I don't know!' she shouted back.

"Well, stop it!!"

"I'M TRYING!!"

She scrunched her face up in frustration. She was trying to build a dam inside her, to stop the flow of power pouring out from her. But she couldn't, and it was painful to try.

Bobby was shouting into his headset, trying to get the others to come and help them. They were there in seconds, and Bobby explained in a rush of words what was happening. Or, at least, what he thought was happening. He didn't know. Hell, she didn't know.

"Lex, what's goin' on?" Ororo asked, appearing in front of her.

"I'll tell you… the second I figure that out!"

Logan was to her right, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Lex, just calm down, alright?"

"I AM CALM!!" Honestly, she was anything but. Inwardly, she was panicking, and that panic was not helping her to regain control.

"Rogue! Commence emergency shutdown procedures, _now_!!" Ororo ordered. Within seconds, all the demolition and destruction in the Danger Room began to fade away. As soon as all the fiber optics had been shut off, all the power that Lexiss had been expending suddenly shot right back into her body, figuratively, as though trying to fill a vacuum. The force of it was actually enough to knock Lexiss to the floor. She landed sprawled on her back, gaping in astonishment at the Danger Room's ceiling.

Logan jutted his head into her line of sight. "How do you feel?" he asked gruffly.

Lexiss blinked. "Dazed and confused."

"What happened?" Ororo demanded, her face appearing next to Logan's.

"I don't know." She was suddenly seized under the armpits, and hauled to her feet. She glanced behind her. "Thanks, Pete," she said, rubbing her temples.

The steel metal doors at the far end of the room slid open, and Rogue came rushing in. "What happened? Is everyone alright?" Her eyes locked with Lexiss'. "What happened to you?" Everyone turned to her, looking for an explanation.

"It was weird… Just, all of a sudden, I was using so much energy and power, more than I've ever used before." She bit her lip, noting the worried looks on everyone's faces. "I-I was just distracted," she said quickly, to reassure them. "I wasn't focusing, and I lost control. No big deal; I'm sorry."

Ororo didn't look like she was totally reassured, turning away from the group for a moment and putting her hands on her hips. "Well," she finally sighed, "whatever it was, I think we'll call it quits for now," she said. She turned back to look at Lexiss. "Besides, it's a special day today," she smiled.

* * *

Lexiss stood in front of her bathroom mirror, having peeled herself out of her torn suit. She wore a short blue pair of cotton shorts, and a grey sports bra. She turned so her right side was visible, wincing as she did so. Large blue and black marks already marred her pale skin, and more were sure to come. She frowned. Since when did she get bruises?

If the incident that morning, scarcely twenty minutes ago, hadn't occurred, she would have had no problem tapping into her power to heal away those bruises. But, the truth was, she hadn't been distracted this morning. She had been totally and completely focused, and she had lost control, something that had never happened before. She was willing to deal with a couple of bruises, for the time being.

The blood from the closed wound, however, still wet and smeared all up and down her torso, needed to go. She dampened a washcloth in the sink, and started trying to wipe away the blood, wincing as she twisted her body.

"Lex, you in here?"

She exhaled through her teeth, and wrung the washcloth out in the sink. The pink water spun slowly around the drain before disappearing. "Bathroom," she called.

She heard the muffled footsteps through her room, and then Warren's golden head appeared in the doorway. "Bobby told me what happened. You okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm good."

He smiled at her. "You want some help there?" He reached out, and took the washcloth from her hand so she could straighten her body and ease the tension on the sore muscles in her right side.

He finished cleaning away the blood, although he could do nothing for the stains in her underclothes. Warren frowned, and his eyebrows knit together. He dropped the washcloth in the sink, and knelt down.

"Bruises?" he asked, tracing his fingers over the marks.

She leaned against the sink, and Warren stood. He held her face in his hands, looking down into her face. She reached up with one of her hands, and held onto one of his. "I'm okay," she said reassuringly. "Just an accident."

"Why haven't you healed?"

Lexiss frowned, dropping her eyes. "Didn't feel like it."

She heard him chuckle. "You're like a little kid."

He leaned forward, and kissed the top of her head affectionately. She smiled and tilted her head back, and he kissed her lips. She kissed him back, her hands flattening against his chest as he leaned more into her.

His hands felt cool against her bare skin, and he was careful not to touch her bruises. Nevertheless, he pulled her closer to him, and his tongue ran across her bottom lip. She opened her mouth, and their tongues moved together simultaneously, side by side.

The edge of her sink pressed up against her back, but Lexiss barely noticed. Her arms slid up over his shoulder, and she raked her fingers through his hair. Warren's hands started to gently roam her body. She softly moaned, and Warren smiled a little against her lips.

"Ahem."

The two jumped apart, blushing furiously. Warren rubbed the back of his neck, and Lexiss nibbled on her lip, avoiding Logan's narrowed eyes. "I knocked, but it seems you two were _preoccupied_," he said. Lexiss could see the slight amusement in his eyes, but Warren seemed focused only on his stony expression and crossed arms.

Logan's eyes cut to him. "Storm's looking for you downstairs. She needs your help putting up some decorations."

Warren nodded, and his wings ruffled slightly. "Right away, Sir," he said. He caught Lexiss' eye, and smiled. She smiled back at him, and then he maneuvered around Logan to get through the door and head downstairs.

Once Warren had left, Logan looked at Lexiss. "I wanted to check on you," he said.

Lexiss flashed him a smile. "I'm fine."

"I can see that."

* * *

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Lexiss, happy birthday to you!" Lexiss beamed amidst the clapping and whistling of everyone gathered in the mansion's large dining room. Bobby leaned over her shoulder from behind and stretched the elastic string of a pointed cardboard party hat under her chin. She laughed and pushed him back to Rogue, who was looking positively radiant in her sleeveless tank top. Even though it was the middle of winter, she refused to completely cover up, and Lexiss couldn't blame her. Even after five months, she still wasn't sick of showing skin.

"Alright, everybody, here we go!" Lexiss heard Ororo call from the kitchen. She backed through the swinging kitchen door carrying a large, rectangular cake with chocolate frosting, topped with nineteen flickering red candles. Everyone clapped, and Logan turned out the lights as everyone burst into song again. Lexiss laughed and clapped for everyone as Ororo set the cake down in front of her. Warren crouched down beside her chair.

"You're glowing," he whispered to her. Lexiss glanced down at him, grinned, and took his hand.

"You're so full of it; it's the candles, you dork," she replied. Warren shook his head with a rueful smile.

"Make a wish," he said. Lexiss closed her eyes, and thought for a moment. What could she wish for? She was perfectly happy with the way things were; she didn't need or want anything more than she had.

_I wish everything could stay like this forever._

Opening her eyes, she inhaled deeply, and blew out all of her candles with a single breath. With another round of cheers, claps, and whistles, the lights came on, and Ororo started cutting and distributing the cake.

"Okay, everyone, bring your cake into the living room, Lex needs to open presents," Rogue said, taking her own piece of cake and leading the procession out of the dining room. Lexiss stood and followed her, and she sat on a loveseat with Bobby and Rogue crammed in on either side of her.

Warren fished through the immense pile of wrapped packages on the coffee table before her. From near the bottom he seemed to find what he was looking for, and he turned back around, hiding the gift behind his back.

"C'mon, Angel, let's see what you've got," Rogue said teasingly. Lexiss elbowed her, grinning.

He kneeled down in front of her, and then held a small, black velvet box topped with a white bow out on his palm. Lexiss' wide grin turned into a slightly smaller smile as she immediately sobered, staring at what was in his hand.

"What's this, Warren?" she asked, pushing some of her short hair behind her ear.

"Just open it," he said with a smile.

"Um… alright…" she said, carefully lifting the box out of his hand. She looked over her shoulder. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, and Ororo and Logan seemed to be eyeing Warren a bit warily.

Careful not to disturb the bow, Lexiss pulled the top of the box open, and, upon seeing what was fit snugly inside, felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Holy shit," Bobby breathed. Logan smacked the back of his head.

"This is… Warren, I…" She looked up at him, eyes wide.

"Warren, I understand your… _attachment_ to Lexiss, but don't you think this is a little… premature?" Ororo said.

Logan added his piece. "If you're doing what I think you're doing, you'd better think again, Bub. She's only nineteen," he growled.

Lexiss looked back down, staring in disbelief at the expensive-looking ring that remained untouched in the box. The ring itself looked silver, and set on top was a circular diamond, and on either side a small, golden brown gemstone – topaz, her November birthstone – cut into a square diamond shape.

Warren chuckled a little, and then actually started to laugh out loud. When he could finally breathe, he ran a hand through his hair, and looked like he was blushing. "It's a promise ring, not an engagement ring. It goes on your right hand," he said.

Lexiss drew a shaky breath. "Warren, I couldn't possibly accept-"

"Yes, you can," Warren said firmly, resting one of his hands on hers while taking the ring out of the box with his other hand.

"It's too expensive, it'd be selfish-"

"Lexiss," Warren said. "Look." He turned the ring upside down, and Lexiss saw an engraving on the inside of the band that read, '_My Angel_'. She opened her mouth to object again, but Warren said, "Please?"

She looked up at him, and when she did, he slid the ring onto the ring finger of her right hand. She looked down at it, and then back up at Warren.

"Alright?" he said. She nodded quickly.

"Al-alright…" she said, leaning forward and kissing him.

"My turn," Bobby said, unfolding himself from the couch. He really had gotten tall.

"Here," he said, pulling an oddly shaped package off the top of the stack and handing it to her. Warren took Bobby's seat, and rested his arm over the back of the couch.

Lexiss tried to pick at the edges of the tape at the round top of the gift. "Christ, Bobby, like a little paper with your tape?" she said, finally managing to get the edge up.

"Just shut up and rip the paper," Bobby said, frowning. Rogue grinned at him, and then Lexiss noticed, out of the corner of her eye, her smile falter a little. She glanced across the room, and saw Kitty grinning widely as well.

_Oh please, not today_, she thought to herself as she pulled the paper off.

"Oh, wow…" she said, lifting up the gift. Inside a glass display case with a spherical top was a figure of a flower she had never seen before, covered in glittering ice crystals.

"Bobby, it's so pretty," Lexiss said, turning the case in her hands.

"It's a Calypso flower," Bobby replied. "The case is vacuum-sealed so it should stay frozen for a really long time. And, if it doesn't work like it's supposed to, I can always perk it up for you." Lexiss gave Bobby a friendly hug, carefully setting the case on a small end table.

"Thanks, Bobby." She looked over at Rogue as Bobby traded places with her. "Are you next?" She shook her head, and sat on Bobby's lap.

"Nope. Savin' the best for last," she said with a smirk.

Obviously, every mutant in the room had something to say about that, and Lexiss was quickly forced to open the rest of her gifts. Kitty had gotten her a pair of ice skates, as she had left hers at home in Canada when she had left. Piotr gave her a large, decorative silver butterfly clip with green stones forming the decorations on the wings, which Lexiss immediately put into her hair. He said it had been made in Russia.

Logan gruffly shoved a brown-wrapped box into her hands before saying he needed to get something to drink. She made sure he had left the room before she opened his gift, a small, blockily cut bottle of perfume, the liquid inside a turquoise color. She lifted the bottle to her nose to smell it; it was wonderful. Lexiss vaguely wondered if Logan had picked it out himself before setting it next to Bobby's iced Calypso container.

Kurt, from wherever he was, had sent her a box of German chocolates, and there were a few more gifts besides, a completed works of Jane Austen novels, several slasher movies she had gotten into watching in the last year, and a small, elegant bouquet of red lilies, her favorite flowers, purple lavender blossoms, her favorite scent, and a few sprays of baby's breath. They had no name on them. It was decided they had to be from Jubilee, who was upstairs with the flu.

Finally, all the gifts were unwrapped, and all thanks given, with the exception of two. Lexiss eyed Rogue and Ororo suspiciously. "You two planned something together, didn't you?" she asked. Rogue, grinning like the Cheshire Cat himself, looked up at Ororo, who was looking down at Lexiss.

"It took us a long time for us to think of something we wanted to give you. We wanted it to mean something special," Ororo said. "It ended up being Rogue's idea, in the end." Lexiss looked at Rogue.

"We're not really giving you anything," she started, "nothing tangible anyway. It's just kind of… kind of like…"

"A future," Ororo finished.

Lexiss' forehead wrinkled slightly in thought. "I'm not quite I understand what the two of you are talking about…"

Ororo handed her a card. It had three colored balloons on the front. Lexiss opened it, and it had a short note written in it, with both Ororo's and Rogue's signatures.

**I want you to keep being a part of this place, Lexiss. So stay. Stay, and have a reason to stay.**

_Teach._

**Ororo**_ Marie_

"Oh my God…" Lexiss said softly, staring at the note. "Oh my God!" she said, voice louder. She looked up at Ororo. "You're kidding," she said, eyes searching her face for any hint of trickery.

Ororo smiled. "'Fraid not, girl," she said, ruffling her hair. "You'll need some training, first, but I couldn't imagine anyone being any better suited."

Lexiss' grin was so wide, could feel her cheeks already starting to hurt. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cried happily, jumping on and over the loveseat to envelope her in a bear hug. Ororo laughed brightly, patting her back, and she turned to face Rogue, who had come around the other side of the loveseat.

Releasing Ororo, Lexiss leapt at Rogue and threw her arms around her shoulders. "You are the absolute best friend a girl could ever-"

She cut off with a strangled sound. Something was most definitely wrong. She felt… stuck to Rogue. She couldn't move, and she was suddenly very aware of every part, every cell of her body. Everything was silent, and she could see Rogue's mouth open in the shape of a perfect 'O', and Warren, Bobby, and Ororo moving toward the two of them in slow motion. Her head felt like it was going to split in two, and sweat popped out from every pore on her body. Blood pounded in her ears. Amidst, perhaps even despite all this, Lexiss could still feel the horrified, terrified scream tearing itself from her throat with a burning, ripping inevitability.

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**BAM!! I hope you liked it. Reviews are love.**


	3. Chapter 17

**Hi, everyone, long time no see. I know it's been forever, but I've just been so stuck on this story. I've been able to write excerpts up the wazoo, but when it actually came to this chapter, I just couldn't see to get it out. But, at long last, here it is, and hopefully, now that all this necessary dialogue is out of the way, I'll be able to crank these chapters out a lot faster. Thank you all so much for being patient with me, and showing your support!**

**Oh, and also, because I've been getting enough feedback from you guys to know what kind of readers you are, I'm sure you all know to the kind of conflict this latest installation is heading for. So, if you would be so kind, in addition to your wonderful reviews, head over to my profile and answer the poll posted there. Cast your vote: who do you think Lexiss should choose?**

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_Chapter 17_

Lexiss felt sweaty.

Ugh.

She felt sweaty, and weak. That was the worst part.

She tried to open her eyes, but only succeeded in lifting them just high enough to look through her lashes. Wherever she was, it was too bright to make things out clearly. Indistinctly, she wondered what had happened, and if Rogue was okay.

Suddenly, all light was blocked out from above her, and she could somewhat see a fuzzy, dark figure standing over her.

Clarity wavered.

Her eyes strained, trying to put things into focus. It was a man, she thought hazily. She tried to lift up her arm, but it wouldn't budge.

Another vague thought crossed her rather blank mind. Paralysis was an option, here. Perhaps she had had a seizure.

In her disconnected state, she thought she felt warm fingers brush her forehead near her hairline.

Then the blurry human form was gone, leaving Lexiss to close her eyes against the return of the brightness and to sink blissfully back into unaware darkness.

* * *

The next time she regained consciousness, she felt more awake, and could open her eyes halfway. It had to some time later, she decided, because the light was different.

She tried moving the little things first, her fingers, and then her toes. Good. Everything worked. She wasn't paralyzed after all. It was a lot harder to move her arms and legs, but she could do it. Then, taking a deep breath, she forced her eyes all the way open.

At first, she was blinded, and she could see nothing but white. She closed her eyes, and after the spots disappeared, opened them again, more slowly this time.

This was the first time, she realized, that after suffering some sort of medical-related trauma, she had awoken in her own bedroom, and not in the infirmary downstairs.

"Not… a good… sign," she groaned. Only long-term patients recuperated in their rooms.

"Lex? Oh, thank God you're finally awake…" Something moved to her left, and Warren, all bright feathers and even brighter smiles, was kneeling at her bedside when she turned her head.

"You look like shit," Lexiss said hoarsely, smiling wanly at him. His clothes were rumpled, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

"I think you look beautiful." He reached up to her, stroked back her hair, and kissed her forehead. "I missed you."

She looked around her room. Monitors were set up on both sides of her bed. An IV ran down into her left arm, and several heart rate monitor patches were attached to her chest. "What time is it? How long's it been?"

"It's…" he glanced at his watch, "almost 7 o'clock at night." Warren paused, and then slid both his hands around her small one. "And it's been a little more than two weeks."

She turned and looked at him again. "When's the last time you slept in your own room?"

He allowed himself a soft chuckle. "Little more than two weeks."

"Stupid," she muttered, but she twisted her fingers into Warren's, and smiled up at him affectionately. Then she sighed. "What happened?"

His hands tightened. "I don't know if… I don't think…" He exhaled shakily. "Rogue should tell you."

Lexiss nodded, and then slid her hand out from between Warren's. She started pulling off the patches stuck to her chest. "Lex, what are you doing?" Warren asked, reaching forward and gently trying to stop her. She pushed his hands away, and with surprising quickness for her current state, pulled the IV out of her arm. She pushed back the sheets, and tried to stand before all the momentum she had just worked up left her. But, after two weeks of lying in bed, her legs just weren't strong enough, and she would have fallen flat on her face if Warren hadn't caught her.

"Hey, hey, hey," he said soothingly, pulling her up to her feet and nudging her arms up around his neck. She avoided looking up at him, but hung onto him for dear life.

"I… I wanted to go downstairs," she mumbled, an embarrassed flush spreading slowly over her cheeks, "but I guess I can't."

"That's not true," he said. He supported her with one arm around her waist, and used his free hand to tilt her face up to look at his. He gently pushed some hair out of her face, and tucked it behind her ear. "I love you. Let me help you."

He looked so reassuring. Lexiss nodded. "Al-alright."

Warren bent, and gently hooked his arm around her knees, effortlessly lifting her into his arms. "Just keep your arms around my neck, okay?"

Lexiss nodded, resting her head against his shoulder. "'Kay."

* * *

He carried her down to the first floor by the back staircase so that she had as little attention drawn to her condition as possible, all without being asked. She nestled her head into his shoulder, and Warren tightened his grip protectively around her.

"Are you feeling okay? Tired? I can take you back upstairs," he asked worriedly, looking down at her.

She shook her head, and smiled reassuringly. "I slept for two weeks; I'm fine."

He smiled back, though his was a little tighter and carried a little more worry. "You didn't sleep, Lex. You were in a coma."

"Same thing."

It seemed like he was taking her to Ororo's office. On the way, they passed the living room where, only yesterday, it seemed, Lexiss had been celebrating her nineteenth birthday. However, the room looked very, very different. Some of the furniture was missing, while the rest was covered and pushed to the middle of the room. Plastic sheeting hung down over the walls from the ceiling, and one window was covered in with a blue tarp.

"Warren?" she asked, as they passed the room. "What happened?"

He avoided her eyes again. "I think you should ask Rogue," he said again.

Lexiss rolled her eyes, and dropped her head back against Warren's chest, pouting. "I don't see why you won't just tell me what the hell's going on," she muttered.

Above her, Warren smiled, shaking his head slightly.

They reached the office door, which Warren somehow managed to get open while still keeping a steady, secure grip on her. Inside, a white head bent down over the wide mahogany desk lifted upon hearing the door click and open. Ororo's face brightened immediately when she saw Warren carry her in.

"Oh, Lexiss!" she cried, standing from the desk and rushing around its end to hurry across the room to the door.

"Hey, Ororo," Lexiss smiled. She looked hopefully up at Warren, and, after tightening his arms around her a little bit, he carefully, ever so carefully, set her down on the ground, keeping his hands on her waist but allowing her to stand on her own. Moving slowly, Lexiss stepped forward to hug Ororo. "Two weeks? Really?" she asked.

Ororo nodded against, the side of her head, and drew back. There were tears of relief in her eyes. "Yeah, baby, yeah it was. Do you feel alright? Do you want me to call Hank?"

Lexiss shook her head. "No, no, that's alright, really," she replied.

Warren pulled her arm around his waist, wrapped his arm around her back, and slowly he guided her to the small, black leather couch and made her sit. He sat beside her, his arm changing position only slightly to settle protectively around her shoulders.

"You look tired, Ororo," Lexiss said, resting her head on Warren's shoulder.

Ororo's bright, excited smile just barely touched the exhaustion that was clear in her eyes. "It's been a long couple of weeks," she said, holding the door open. "With the repairs in the living room and, well…"

Lexiss leaned forward in anticipation of the rest of that sentence, but Ororo sighed, and said, "I should probably let Rogue explain it to you."

She sighed in frustration, and fell back against Warren. "Then please, for the love of God, can we find Rogue? Honestly, the suspense is killing me," she said sarcastically. Ororo, smiling, quickly left the room, and Warren started laughing. Frowning, Lexiss looked up at him. "What?" she demanded.

He quickly quieted, but he couldn't hide the huge smile on his face. "I missed you," he said, kissing the top of her head.

She looked up at him, and touched his chin, where bright blonde scruff adorned his features. "You got something on your face, Angel," she giggled.

He caught her hand in his. "Two weeks, _Calypso_," he teased back. His smile softened, and he used one of his hands to brush her dark hair back from her face. Then he bent his neck down toward her, and kissed her.

After a few seconds, they parted, and Lexiss smiled up at him. "What was that for?" she asked.

"I missed you," he repeated.

"I missed you, too," she replied.

"Hey, hey, hey! Not so fast outta the gate, Warren, she just got back up!"

They pulled their heads apart, and Lexiss saw Bobby's grinning face through the door. "Hey!" she smiled. He walked to the couch and bent to give her a hug.

"We missed you around here," he said, dropping into a leather chair next to the couch.

"You'd better," Lexiss laughed back. "How's things?"

He shrugged. "Could be better."

She frowned. "What's that supposed to-"

The door opened again, and this time, Rogue slowly stepped into the room. Everyone grew silent, and even the air stilled. "Can I… Can I come in?" she asked timidly.

Lexiss' smile turned into a frown, and she moved to stand. She used Warren's hand to push herself up. "Of course you can come in," she replied. "Why are you asking?"

She noticed Bobby and Warren glance at each other, and then watched them both stand up. Warren rested his hands on Lexiss' shoulders, and kissed the top of her head. Then they left the room together, leaving Lexiss and Rogue alone.

Lexiss sat carefully back on the couch, and patted the cushion next to her. Rogue, however, bit her lip, and then moved to the chair Bobby had just vacated. And when she stepped fully into the light, Lexiss saw her, truly, for the first time since her birthday.

"You're wearing your gloves…" she whispered. Her eyes traveled up Rogue's arms. "And long sleeves."

Finally, their eyes met, and Lexiss saw Rogue's eyes had filled with tears. "Lex, I'm so sorry," she sniffled.

"What happened?" Lexiss asked.

Rogue's eyes dropped. "The cure," she began softly, "it's failed."

Lexiss covered her mouth in horror as the ramifications of what Rogue just said began to dawn upon her. "How…?"

"No one knows. It was just, all of a sudden, my powers were back, like they were never gone." Rogue's eyes suddenly darted back up to Lexiss' face. "You have to know, if I had known, if I had had any idea-"

Lexiss frowned. "You didn't do it on purpose, Rogue. It's not your fault."

The tears in Rogue's eyes started to overflow. "You're my best friend; I was afraid you were never going to wake up again," she cried.

Lexiss pushed herself up off the couch, and threw her arms around Rogue's neck. Rogue hugged her back just as fiercely. "It's okay, Rogue, it's alright. No one blames you… I don't blame you. It's not your fault," she said comfortingly while Rogue sobbed into her shoulder.

When Rogue's sobs seemed to quiet a little, Lexiss drew back, and retrieved a box of Kleenex from a small end table in the corner of the room. She handed Rogue the box, and then kneeled down on the floor in front of her. She hesitantly bit her bottom lip, and then asked, "If you're really that concerned, maybe… maybe you'd want to get the cure again? Maybe it's just that since your powers are so strong, the suppression failed the first time. Maybe a second dose-"

But Rogue was already shaking her head. "You don't understand," she said thickly, wiping her eyes. She blew her nose, and then said, "It's not just me; it's happening everywhere, all over the world. The cure's failing for all mutants."

Lexiss stared at her. "But how… how is that possible?"

Rogue shrugged. "No one knows."

Lexiss frowned, looking down at the thick red carpeting in the study, and then thought of another question. "What happened to the living room? I saw it on the way in here, it looked trashed."

Now, in addition to the red-tinged nose and red-rimmed eyes, a faint red blush rose in Rogue's cheeks. "O-oh. Well, you see, after I touched you, your powers… they were really, really hard to control, and I wasn't expecting it. Even after most of the damage was done, it took everything I had to reign them in." Lexiss looked up at Rogue, and their eyes met. "I don't know how you-"

The study's door suddenly banged open, startling both girls. Lexiss looked over to see Logan filling the doorway, an uncharacteristic upturning of the lips evident on his face. "Hey, brats," he said, stepping into the room.

"Hey, Logan!" Lexiss smiled. She stood up, and crossed the room to give the taller man a hug. Rogue glanced over, and bashfully offered a small smile before turning her face away and hurrying to hide all traces that she had been crying. Lexiss looked back up at Logan.

"You alright, kid?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'll be fine."

Logan nodded in Rogue direction, and, as she blew her nose, muttered, "Things all good with her?"

Lexiss nodded again. "We talked. It's all fine with me, anyway," she whispered. "Hard to say what's up with her, though."

Logan nodded, and Rogue stood up from the chair and walked toward them. From behind Logan, the study door opened again, and Ororo and Warren reappeared. Loud voices also began to fill the room.

"Sorry, Lex," Warren said apologetically. She looked to Ororo for explanation.

"Word got out. Everybody's really excited to see you," she said with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"Wonder how that happened…" Logan muttered to himself. Lexiss and Rogue shared a look.

"Bobby."

Lexiss sighed. "Well, alright then. Best to see them all now, I guess."

Warren shook his head. "No."

She blinked. "_No?_ But I told you, I feel-"

"No." He smiled at her, and then stepped forward to envelop her in a tight embrace. Surprised, she automatically leaned into him. Somehow, in the ten minutes he had been gone, he has showered, shaved, and changed his clothes. She inhaled his heady cologne, and pressed her cheek into his soft grey sweater. "It might be selfish," he said quietly, so only she could hear, "but I don't want to share you with anyone else tonight. You can see everyone in the morning."

Without hesitation, she nodded against him. "Alright."

* * *

Lexiss stepped out of her bathroom, rubbing a towel over her short, dark hair, wet from the shower she had just taken. "Thanks for waiting," she smiled, peeking out at Warren from under the edge of the dark blue towel. He was sitting on the edge of his own bed, watching her. They had come to his room because Ororo and Logan had wanted to pack up the medical equipment in hers. She paused in the middle of his room, and continued trying to towel dry her hair. "So, what did you want to do?"

After a moment, Warren stood, and slowly walked toward her. She looked up at him, slightly concerned over his silence. "Warren?"

He reached for her, and tugged the towel down off her head. He held it in his hand for a second before letting it slip through his fingertips to the floor. Then, he held her face in his hands, and he bent down to kiss the top of her head. He tilted her face back, and kissed her forehead and both of her cheeks. Lexiss wrapped her fingers around his wrists.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Warren wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and pulled her into his chest.

"I wasn't sure if you were ever going to wake up again," he said softly. "You were lying there for two weeks, and there was nothing I could do about it but sit there and watch. I was totally useless."

"Warren," Lexiss said, sliding her arms around his waist and looking up to meet his sharp, clear eyes, "I am so sorry you had to go through that. If I could do anything to change it-"

He silenced her with a kiss, holding her gently but moving against her fiercely, a surprising change in Warren's usually collected and reserved manner. By the time he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers, he had left her breathless, and she could feel Warren's chest rising quicker than normal against her own body.

"I promise, I won't let anything like that ever happen to you again," Warren said, running his hand against her jaw and up into her damp hair, tangling it there.

"I know," Lexiss replied breathlessly, before he kissed her again, pulling her as close as possible with one arm around her waist. She flattened her hands against his chest, and allowed herself to feel just a little lightheaded. She barely noticed when Warren's hand moved from the back of her neck, skimmed her shoulder, and joined the first at her waist. She did, however, most certainly notice when his hands turned upward, and held the bottom of her shirt in his fingertips. Her breath caught, and she looked Warren in the eye.

"I won't, if-"

"No," Lexiss said, hesitating only slightly. "It's alright."

Warren looked relieved, and allowed himself a small smile, which she returned. She leaned forward, and pressed her lips against Warren's, and felt his smile grow a little bigger. His hands found the bare skin on her hips under her shirt, and slowly began to slide upward.

Suddenly, Warren's bedroom door banged open, startling the pair apart for the second time in Lexiss' recent memory. The two sprang apart, and Lexiss saw the red flush on Warren's face that she could feel on her own cheeks.

"LEXISS!!"

She was tackled around the middle and shoved backward onto Warren's bed. She bounced, and then was able to open her eyes to a head of bright blonde hair and eerie white and blue eyes.

"Annabeth," Lexiss said in surprise. The smaller girl managed to get her arms around Lexiss' neck, and she snuggled against her.

"I missed you!" Annabeth exclaimed.

"How did you find me?" Lexiss asked.

Annabeth rolled off of her, and propped herself up on one elbow. She arched one eyebrow. "Please," she replied, tapping one finger against her ear.

"Ah," Lexiss said. "Right." She glanced up at Warren, and then looked back down at Annabeth. "Uh, sweetheart, look-"

"Do you want to watch a movie with us, Annabeth?" Warren suddenly asked, sitting down the girl's other side. Lexiss looked up at him, and he offered a smile shrug. Lexiss smiled back apologetically.

Annabeth sat up excitedly. "Really? Ooh, could we watch _Nightmare on Elm Street_? Or, or how about _Halloween_?"

"You have had an undue influence on this girl," Warren said to Lexiss with a laugh.

Lexiss stuck her tongue out at Warren, and then stood up and went to the cabinet against the wall, which housed Warren's flat screen and a small but choice DVD collection. "How about one of the Harry Potters, Annabeth?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "_Fine_," she said, sitting up and crossing her legs. Warren was propping his pillows up against his headboard for them all to lie on. "But I want to watch the third one."

"Alright," Lexiss agreed. She opened the case and put the disc in the player before standing back up and leaping onto the bed next to Warren. Annabeth settled herself between them.

"Well, look at this," Warren said, putting his arm around Annabeth and Lexiss. "I'm watching a movie with my two favorite girls. I can't imagine a better night." Lexiss caught his eye, and he smiled back at her reassuringly as he interlaced his fingers with hers. She returned his smile, and tried to ignore the tiny bit of relief she felt at Annabeth's intrusion.

* * *

**Again, thank you all so much for waiting! I had a lot of trouble with this chapter, so give me your feedback and let me know how you think I did! And I promise, John will make his triumphant (or not) return in the next chapter. So, until then, definitely check out the poll, and hopefully I'll see you soon!**


	4. Chapter 18

**I do feel quite guilty about the time lapse between Chapter 16 and Chapter 17, so, in order to appease that, I churned this chapter out as quickly as I could. And it is quite a good one, if I do say so myself...**

* * *

_Chapter 18_

Despite Lexiss' protests, Ororo had called Mr. McCoy, and he arrived the next morning to give her a thorough physical examination.

"So?" she asked. "What's the verdict, Doc?"

"You need to get some more rest, but other than that, I can write you a clean bill of health," the tall, broad-shouldered, blue-haired man said, lifting his eyes from the clipboard he held in his hand and adjusting his glasses. He offered Lexiss a smile as she slid off the steel examination table in the infirmary. "Just don't push yourself for a few more days, and you'll be fine."

Lexiss smiled back at him, pulling her sweater back over her head and smoothing it out over her tank top. "How is it you know so much about everything, Mr. McCoy?" she asked curiously, pushing up her sleeves.

Mr. McCoy blinked. "Just what do you mean?" he answered.

"You're an ambassador," she said. "How is it, then, that you know so much about medicine, and literature, and, well, _everything_?"

He smiled. "My dear, when you hold a position as important as mine, you learn to use your free time to best learn things that are in no way related to your work. It allows one to remain sane." He paused. "Although, considering all the trouble you seem to find yourself in time and time again, it might be prudent for Ororo to consider finding a more permanent physician for the school…"

Lexiss laughed, and then heard the solid steel doors slide open behind her with a metallic _swoosh_. "How's everything down here?" Warren asked, coming through the circular doorway.

Mr. McCoy put his pen into the breast pocket of the white lab coat he was wearing, and, tucking the clipboard under his arm, put his hands into its side pockets. "She needs rest. Make sure she gets it, won't you?" he asked.

Lexiss frowned. "What happened to doctor-patient confidentiality?"

Mr. McCoy's eyes held a mischievous glint as he looked up from her face to Warren. "I'm telling you because I don't trust her to do what I say," he said to him.

Warren grinned, and dropped his arm around Lexiss' shoulders. "Come on, Lex, let's go," he said, turning her and steering her back toward the doors. She turned her head, and threw a glare back in Mr. McCoy's direction.

"Traitor," she said.

He wriggled his fingers at her in a wave. "Rest, Lexiss. Doctor's orders!"

* * *

"You know, I could get used to this 'rest' thing," Warren said, shifting just slightly and exhaling contentedly. He was lounging on half of one of the dark blue couches in the rec room, his feet propped up on a coffee table. Lexiss was curled up against his side, her head resting on his shoulder. He was idly trailing his fingertips up and down her arm. "No Danger Room sessions, no chores, all the junk food we can eat…"

"You mean all the junk food _I _can eat," Lexiss replied. "And speak for yourself. I going out of my mind just sitting around. And for your information, I _like_ Danger Room sessions…"

Warren smiled down at her, although she couldn't see it. "Come on, just try to enjoy it," he said, kissing the top of her head.

Lexiss sighed, and then picked up the remote, and started channel surfing. She had gone through approximately eight channels before a banner for a public service announcement caught her attention, and she paused.

_"The following mutant terrorists wanted in connection to the Alcatraz attack are still at large."_ Magneto's mug shot from the days following the Liberty Island incident flashed onto the screen as the cool female announcer spoke.

_"These mutants are considered exceedingly dangerous, and the public should proceed with caution."_ Before Lexiss could react, a mug shot of John, undoubtedly pulled from the juvenile files he used to be so proud of, filled the television screen.

_"If you've seen these mutants, please inform your local authorities, or call-"_

Lexiss firmly pressed the channel up button, and suddenly an overweight daytime chef appeared, wearing all white and talking animatedly about the pasta he was making.

After a moment, Warren hesitantly spoke. "Lex?" he asked, his voice quiet.

She knew she had gotten very still, and she forced herself to relax, to soften her body against his in the way it had been just half a minute ago. She was suddenly painfully aware of the secret she and Warren carried, the secret of what they had done, that day, on Alcatraz Island. No one in the mansion, beside themselves, ever gave a second thought to these announcements, because they all believed, rightfully so, that John was dead, torn to pieces, disintegrated, by the Phoenix's wrath.

She changed the channel again. "Almost six months later and they've still got that crap plastered all over the T.V.," she muttered.

Before Warren could reply, the rec room door opened, and Rogue stuck her head into the room. "Oh, here you guys are," she said, timidly stepping into the room. She was still acting shy around the both of them, but Lexiss was sure it would wear off in another day or two. "We've been looking for you everywhere," she added.

"We?" Warren asked, sitting up.

"Yeah," Jubilee replied, bouncing in behind Rogue.

"Hey!" Lexiss smiled, standing. They hugged. "I haven't seen you since my birthday, I wanted to thank you for my flowers."

Jubilee cocked her dark head to the side quizzically. "Flowers? I didn't get you flowers." She blushed. "I sort of forgot your birthday, actually..."

"Oh." Lexiss blinked in confusion, then smiled. "It must have been someone else, then. Don't worry about it," she said.

Jubilee smiled back. "Storm's looking for you. She's in the study on the second floor."

Lexiss frowned. "Why?" she asked. "The only time anyone's in there is when we have company, and we haven't had company in..." She trailed off. The mansion hadn't been receiving visitors in nearly six months now.

"Dunno, but that's where she wants you," Jubilee shrugged.

Lexiss ran her fingers through her hair and smoothed out her shirt. "Want me to come?" Warren asked, sitting up. She shook her head.

"No, it's alright. She probably just wants to make sure I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Set up another crappy T.V. movie for us to watch, and I'll be back down in a minute."

* * *

Lexiss knocked on the sturdy mahogany door, and then entered the room. Despite living in the mansion for over a year now, she had been in this room less than a handful of times. It was decorated to both simultaneously impress and offer comfort, with burgundy walls and a long boardroom table down the length of the room. Usually, it was reserved for meetings to large for the professor's old study downstairs, or for first-time meetings with parents of prospective students.

She saw Ororo as soon as she turned back from closing the door behind her, and then saw Logan standing beside her. "Hey, Logan," she smiled. "Bobby didn't say…" She trailed off, and her smile faded into nothingness as the two teachers parted, and she saw who was standing behind them. Her eyes widened at the sight of a shorter, stocky woman with green eyes and graying blonde hair.

"M-mom?" Lexiss whispered, taking a step back into the door. Slowly, her eyes moved to the tall man standing next to her. He had similar green eyes, and dark brown hair with white wings at the temples. "Dad?"

"Hi, sweet- Lexiss," her mother said carefully, taking her husband's hand and gripping it tight. "We've… we've finally found you. We've been looking for _so long_," she said breathily. Lexiss' father tightened his grip on her mother's hand, and she lapsed into tearful silence.

"Uh, Lex… there's something else," Logan said, drawing her numbed attention back to him. He turned, and another figure's face was visible in the dim light offered by the window. Lexiss could actually feel all the blood drain from her face, and she felt her stomach pitch violently.

"Christopher…" she whispered, horrified.

He had changed since she had last seen him, four years prior. His chestnut brown hair, which had been shaggy and shiny, was shaved, and there was a scar running vertically through his right eyebrow. There was dark scruff on his chin, and an arm band tattoo around his large bicep. When he smiled at her, she felt bile rise in her throat.

Her eyes darted accusingly to Ororo and Logan. "What's going on here?"

"Why don't we sit down?" Ororo suggested, stepping up to Lexiss and resting a comforting hand against the small of her back. She guided her to a chair at the head of the boardroom table, and forced her to sit. Then she and Logan sat in two chairs to her right, and her parents and Christopher sat down to her left. Her mother and father were still holding hands, and Christopher gently rubbed his hand up and down her back.

"Now, Lexiss," Ororo said calmly, pressing her hands flat against the tabletop. "Edward, Marian, and Christopher arrived here last Thursday, while you were…" she glanced at Logan, biting her lip, "…in your room."

"We remembered, Lexiss," Marian Torrence cut in suddenly, reaching forward and covering Lexiss' hands with hers. It took all of Lexiss' conscious willpower to not instinctively pull her hand back to her chest.

"You… you did?" she asked.

Edward Torrence nodded. "We've also been learning about mutants." He smiled at her. "Your powers manifested then, that day at the house, didn't they?" All she could do was nod. "The memory modification was temporary. After only a few weeks, we started to remember things. It came little by little."

"Oh."

"It helped that you didn't take any photos with you, and you didn't make the whole town forget. That speeded things up a little," Marian added, offering her daughter a small, hopeful smile. Lexiss looked away, and didn't see that smile falter just a little. "Then, one day," Marian continued, "Christopher showed up on our doorstep."

That caught Lexiss' attention. She turned to look at the man to her left. "You did?" she asked, her voice strangled.

He nodded, and then looked down at the table, clasping his hands in front of him as though he were embarrassed. "It was one of the first places I went after I… got out."

Now Lexiss really thought she was going to be sick. A greasy, oily feeling of guilt slid through her stomach. She clenched her hands into fists on her thighs. "How-?" she asked.

"Charges were dropped on appeal," he explained. Lexiss chanced a glance at him from the corner of her eye, and saw that he was looking intensely at her. "I wanted to apologize," he was saying, "for what happened when we were in school." He reached forward, reached for her, but Lexiss flinched away, and after a moment, he pulled his hand back. "I wanted you to know that I don't blame you. It wasn't your fault."

Lexiss thought it was darkly ironic that this man, this man she had put in prison, was echoing the same words she had spoken to Rogue the night before. She stood up, shoving the chair she had been sitting in back. "I can't… I don't want…" She looked up to find everyone at the table staring at her. "I-I have to go," she said, taking a step back.

Her parents, Ororo, and Logan stood up. Only Christopher remained in his seat.

"Lexiss!" Marian gasped, starting forward.

Lexiss gasped and jumped, before turning and rushing out of the room as quickly as she could without running. She waited to do that until she reached the end of the hall, where she took the flight of stairs she found there by threes until she reached the next floor, where she sprinted to her room and slammed the door shut. The resulting noise, she knew, was audible enough to be heard in the room below.

She knew she should tell somebody what had happened; she should find Warren, talk to Rogue, look for Bobby. But, as she crammed her feet into her shoes and found her coat, she was thinking – what if they had known? Could it have been that all three of them – hell, maybe even the whole school – had known her parents had found her, tracked her down, and were lying in wait for her to awaken and be strong enough to see them?

There was a knock at her door. "Lexiss?" Ororo asked, rapping her knuckles against the wood again. "Come out of there, we should talk about this."

Lexiss needed a chance to clear her head before she talked to anyone, let alone Ororo, and especially her parents and Christopher. She grabbed her keys and all the cash that was on her dresser, and went to the window. She pulled the brass latch and pushed the split window open, stepping up onto the sill. Then, with her collar pulled up and without hesitation, she propelled herself out into the failing light and cold, crisp air.

* * *

Four hours later, she found herself in a slightly disreputable pool hall on the other side of Westchester, up fifty bucks and feeling a little better with the situation at the mansion thirty miles away and in the back of her mind. The two shots of whiskey she had downed awhile ago had helped.

After she finished her third game and collected her payouts, she slowly made her way to the back, where it was a little quieter. She had been rooting around in her pockets for her cell phone to check for texts, when she remembered she didn't have it with her; she had left it at home on her unmade bed, where she had tossed it before heading downstairs to spend the afternoon watching bad movies with Warren.

With a sigh, she started to turn back, to head back into the hall, when her wrist was seized tightly, and she was pulled up toward whoever had grabbed her.

"Something tells me you don't belong here."

Suddenly she was shoved back up the hallway, and her back connected solidly with a door that swung open into the alley behind the pool hall. Her arm was released, and she stumbled backward, slipping slightly on a small patch of ice. She caught herself on the brick wall of the building next door, and looked up at the man who had shoved her.

"Christopher?" she asked in disbelief, leaning against the wall and trying to slow her breathing and heart rate. "What are you… How did you…" Disbelief kept her from completing her own sentence. She wrapped her arms around herself as the wind whipped up the alley and the hairs on her arms rose – her coat was still hanging on a peg inside.

He smirked down at her. "I followed you, Lexiss. It wasn't hard. After you left, I hung around a little, and listened to your friends talk. You picked this spot up from Logan, didn't you?"

Breathing was beginning to become an effort. Fear had caused her throat to constrict. In the meeting, she had seen that this Christopher was different from the one she had known four years ago; he was harder, and slightly more fierce. But now, even this Christopher had changed. He was no longer the understanding man he had been at the mansion. This Christopher was malicious, and he was taking far too much delight in having cornered her in the alley with only a single, gated light overhead.

"They thought this might be one of the places you'd come. I had to check a couple of others before I found you."

"Who else is here?" she asked, looking around as though the people Christopher had obviously come from the mansion with would suddenly appear. He couldn't have come alone. They had to have come to bring her back, to make her face her parents once more.

"No one's coming, Lexiss. It's just you, and me."

She stared at him, eyes wide. "But… But why?" she gasped.

"Because," Christopher said, taking a menacing step toward her, "I've spent four years in jail for a crime I didn't commit. Now I'm going to get what I was punished for."

He lunged for her, and Lexiss screamed, diving away from him. They both fell, rolling on the ground. She kneed him in the stomach, and managed to scramble to her feet, before slipping again on the ice. Christopher grabbed her ankle, dragging her back toward him.

"Get off of me!" she shouted. She tried to use her power, but all of a sudden, it was like she was reaching for air. It had always, until now, been present in her mind, sort of like a constant glow she was always aware of, but it was like that glow had been extinguished. It added to her terror, making her attempts to fight back and therefore useless. "Let me go!"

"Come on, Lexiss," Christopher grunted, grabbing her arms. She was on her back now, with him kneeling over her. "Let's not argue about this."

"No, let's!"

A foot connected solidly with Christopher's side, and Lexiss winced and rolled onto her side as Christopher hit the ground beside her, groaning. Then, hands were on her again, pulling her to her feet before she could see who had helped her. When she did, her first, desperate thought was that she might have been better off without his help. She wanted to run, but she couldn't force herself to move. Instead, she stood stock still, watching the scene unfold in front of her.

She watched John kick Christopher again, and heard a sickening crunch that made the impulse she had to throw up right now feel even more intense. She watched him seize Christopher's jacket, haul him off the ground, and throw him against the wall.

"What are… what are you doing here?" she asked faintly.

"Saving your ass, from the looks of it," he replied. She hadn't expected him to hear her, and that, combined with watching him punch Christopher in the mouth, seemed to be enough to get her moving again. She grabbed John's arm as he pulled back to deliver another blow, and pulled him away from Christopher. Christopher slid down the wall in a semi-conscious heap, blood running from his nose and temple. He slumped forward, his eyes half-open and rolled back into his head.

John finally turned, looming over her, and said, "Why'd you stop me?"

"You were going to kill him!" she replied.

"It would have been more than he deserved," he said. She stared up at him in disbelief, and apparently, he felt compelled to continue. "It makes me sick to think about that _prick _with his hands all over you!"

The need of an upswing made the full-armed slap she delivered to his left cheek all the more powerful. Now, it was his turn to stare.

"I hate you!!" she shouted at him. Then, finally, she turned, and started running, needing to get as far away from him and Christopher, away from everything the two fo them both represented, as soon as possible.

"LEXISS!!" John bellowed at her from behind.

How long had it been since he had yelled at her like that? Shaking her head, she pushed herself to run faster, but she could still hear John's boots pounding on the alley pavement behind her.

Suddenly, arms snaked around her waist from behind, and she was lifted off of her feet and spun around. John dropped her back onto the pavement, and she stumbled forward.

"Stop it!" he shouted at her. "Just listen to me, damn it!"

Lexiss curled the fingers of her right hand and punched John in the nose. He fell backward onto his back, and she started running past him again.

"God DAMN it!!" John swore to himself, putting fingers to his bleeding nose. He scrambled up. "LEXISS, STOP RUNNING!!"

Her glow had returned. Lexiss focused her mind on her legs, and she started running faster and faster and faster, until everything alongside of her was a blur. As could be expected, the headache that now came normally with using her powers swelled in her forehead, but this time a nearly unbearable surge of nausea came with it. She tripped and slid, suddenly dizzy.

She slowed to a normal running pace, then to a jog, and then stopped altogether, hoping this sickness would pass and equally hoping she was far enough away from John that he wouldn't find her. But, as she leaned against the brick wall of some building, the sickness didn't fade; in fact, it seemed to intensify. Lexiss put a hand to her throat, gasping for air. This sort of thing had never happened before. Her head felt like it was going to explode, and she was torn between not being able to breath and wanting to empty her stomach of every meal she had ever eaten.

The last thing she saw as she pitched forward, eyes rolling back into her head, were the arms waiting to catch her. She thought she might know whose arms they were.

* * *

**See? I told you John would be back this chapter. I know you've all missed our favorite little firebug... Spekaing of which, he's doing quite well in the poll posted on my page. Poor Warren... I know some of you out there must consider him a slightly better match for Lexiss than John! Vote now, and let your voices be heard! Or, if your voice would like to be, well, voiced in a more demanding, drastic, or detailed way than the click of a mouse on a circle, reviews are always welcome here, and my inbox is waiting. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear from anyone with an opinion they want to share!**


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